[2manyrats]

So I started nebulizing one of my boys with Baytril today, and I just had him under a towel in the travel cage like I do with steam treatments.

I noticed a lot of mist escaping, and it made me wonder if I should worry about breathing the air in the room. Not because it would harm me, but because I don't need antibiotics myself! I don't want to make myself resistant to Baytril by inhaling it regularly when nebulizing the rats.

Is this an actual danger, or am I being paranoid?

(I'm sitting several feet away from the cage, btw. But still in the same small room.)

 

[Forensic]

It could cause resistence, as does any use of antibiotics. However, I'd doubt you're receiving a dosage that's high enough to work properly for you. If you're worried perhaps you could open a window?

 

[OnlyOno]

technically *you* aren't getting resistant, it's bacteria you may be carrying that could become resistant. but unless you are carrying something that could get you sick anyway, i doubt it's bad. and you're probably not getting enough of it to really make a difference. and docs don't normally give humans baytril as a bacteriocide (i think ciprofloxacin is the closest thing), so it kind of a mute point.

what all is in the air you are giving to your rat when you're treating him? there's some stuff that can be dangerous to a fetus if you're pregnant, but unless that's a possibility i wouldn't worry about it.

open a window if you're worried about it, as forensic says.

 

[Poppyseed]

I kind of wondered the same thing, because it makes my eyes a little itchy when I nebulise Odin. My vet told me to open up the nebulizer and let the rat out outside. Many people have told me to put holes in the tote I'm useing to allow the rat to breath fresh air as well as nebulised air. It has helped Odin calm down immensly but still I wonder if what I'm breathing is bad.

Then I think of it only being 1cc of baytril and mostly saline and most of it stays in the tote as that until I let him out and open it up outside *shrugs* Probably not a big deal.

 

[lilspaz68]

Look at the size of your rats being nebulized....then look at the size of you, breathing just a little of what they are breathing...

 

[2manyrats]

Yeah, it probably is somewhat paranoid of me to be worried - but I have grown up in a household where antibiotics are given a wide berth unless absolutely necessary. My dad (scientist) would never even let us use antibacterial handsoap.

And I did notice a little eye stinging and felt a little funny afterwards (perhaps psychosomatic), so that's what got me to thinking. That was despite having a window wide open with a fan blowing in.

Also, ciprofloxacin's a bad thing to be resistant to - it's a big gun, and important for things like anthrax! (Not that I'm too worried I'm gonna get anthrax anytime soon, but still.)

I think I'm doing this outside from now on, just to be safe. Or under my vent hood for my glass torch.

 

[Forensic]

Antibacterial hand soap is a) worthless and b) all the issues you've already mentioned.

 

[IceLore]

Baytril is just the brand name of the drug Enrofloxain. It is marked to humans as Ciprofloxacin and is used to treat UTIs, Sinusitis, & Lower RTIs in adults at approx. 500mg twice a day.

So, you could suck down the whole nebulizer treatment yourself and it would do you no harm.

/pharmacology babble

Hope that clears that up for you so you don't have to go outside to do it. ^^

 

[2manyrats]

That makes me feel much better.

I should have looked that up myself. Durrr.

 

[IceLore]

Hee. ^^ Glad you feel better!

 

[penelope]

I'm a pharmacy tech and I'm constantly breathing in the "dust" from the all of the antibiotics when we open the big tubs of the stuff. And I used to get sick all the time and I haven't been sick in 2 years. I'm not saying it's the stuff getting in my system and warding off infections but being around sick people all the time and having them cough on you and handing you snotty prescriptions and still not being sick makes me think that some of it's getting to me. But it's not gonna build up a resistance that fast, if at all. I think you're fine. Plus there are dozens of different antibiotics like this that fight a whole aray of things that you can take instead if you do build up an immunity.